


the best by far is you

by literatily



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 15:51:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16519460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literatily/pseuds/literatily
Summary: In which Lucas returns from a vacation, and Maya has to face how she feels about him over a week-long beach trip with her friends.





	the best by far is you

**Author's Note:**

> Just think about Lucas Friar shirtless on the beach and you'll see why Maya is freaking out.  
> Translations provided in the end notes

The Friar family had had a string of misfortunes for a while now. That was why, during the summer before sophomore year, Maya was surprised when Lucas told his friends that his mother had won a raffle at work. With all of Lucas’ family problems, she had grown accustomed to hearing bad news after bad news, so this was definitely a pleasant surprise. It was quite the jackpot, too. Mid-June, Layla Friar took her three kids to Paris, France for over a month. Maya was happy for Lucas, but for herself as well. She had been avoiding him ever since the Ski Lodge, trying to talk to him as rarely as she could. It wasn’t his fault she was doing so, though. Maya just felt so incredibly uncomfortable with him now. She had faded herself out, still hanging out with him when the whole group was there, but she hadn’t sent him a text in six months. They hadn’t called each other, and Maya had forced herself not to tease him at all. It hurt her, sure, but what hurt her more was acting like nothing had changed. Because it had. 

Ever since she had taken herself out of the equation, Maya had been hiding her true feelings. She still liked Lucas-- of course she did, how could she not? It was tough hiding it, but at least she had let herself let her guard down in confessing to Zay. Zay had been there for her since, and the two of them had been growing closer. Not romantically, though. Zay was strictly a friend, and Maya wanted nothing more. It was relaxing not having to fend off advances like she had with Farkle (even if it was playful), having to wait and hurt like with Josh, or hurt herself to please others like with Lucas. She was comforted by the fact that she was able to call Zay her friend. In any case, he had been incredibly understanding and had let her vent to him when she needed, keeping her secret without question. It was nice being able to trust someone for once. 

She missed joking around with Lucas, but she couldn’t now, for a couple reasons. She had made fun of him as an effect of her feelings for him, so it might clue people in to her secret. Plus, she was scared that it would upset Riley. That was her major fear.

With the Friars gone for most of the summer, the rest of the group had still been hanging out. They mainly frequented Topanga’s, sitting outside with ice cream or iced lemonade and just enjoying the warm summer breeze. Maya had felt much more relaxed than she had before, and she knew it was because Lucas wasn’t there. She felt a bit bad for it, but she couldn’t deny the fact that his very presence caused her pain. As sappy as it was, it simply hurt to look at him. Without him, she didn’t have to constantly stop herself from calling him a nickname or grabbing his collar and pulling him down to her level. She could simply relax. There was no need to put up her guard. Lucas called often, updating everyone about his incredible trip. The rest of the group was always thrilled to hear from Lucas, but Maya always hung back, only speaking in greetings and goodbyes. There was nothing she had to say to him, anyway. Besides, he hadn’t made any effort to talk to her recently. When she had first started spacing him out, Lucas had persisted in texting her and inviting her to hang out, but after a while he got the hint and quieted. Their contact had gone from scarce to nonexistent. It saddened Maya, but nethertheless, she didn’t let herself slip. The healthiest thing for her was to avoid him, right? 

All of this lead to her surprise when she received a FaceTime call from Lucas a couple days before he was scheduled to travel back to New York. He hadn’t tried to call her in the past, what, six months? She had debated just ignoring his call, but something had pulled at her heartstrings, so Maya had answered the call. The screen opened to Lucas’ face, and he was smiling. He was holding his phone at what would be an unflattering angle for anyone else, but to her dismay, Maya still found it cute. No matter how she looked at him, he could never be unattractive. His dorkiness was incredibly endearing. In the background, she could see some buildings, and the sun was shining down on him, illuminating his golden skin. “Hey, Maya,” he greeted her cheerfully, his green eyes shining. He definitely seemed glad to talk to her.  _ Damnit. Why couldn’t he just let her go? _

“Hey, Lucas,” she said weakly, returning his smile somewhat half-heartedly. “What drove you to call me? I’m seeing you in, like, two days.” 

He laughed, and Maya felt her stomach lurch. Those damn butterflies. “I don’t know, Maya. We haven’t talked in a while. I wonder why I’d call you.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at his endearing sarcasm. 

“What time is it for you?” She asked. How else could she keep conversation with someone she’d barely spoken to in ages?

Lucas checked the top of his screen for a second before replying. “About 4pm. Or, as they’d say here, 16:00. You don’t get used to military time, I’m telling you.” Maya leaned back in her chair. She was sitting at her desk in her bedroom, about to sketch a bit when he had called.    
“Huh. You still jet-lagged?” 

“Not anymore, but I bet it’ll be pretty rough when I get back home.” Lucas cracked another grin, and Maya couldn’t help but smile back in reply. What was it about him that did this to her? She had never been a romantic, but here she was. 

She was about to reply when she heard another voice on Lucas’ end. She listened, but it was in French, so she couldn’t understand what the voice was saying. Lucas paused to think before answering the voice. “Uh, le café que vous recherchez se situe à cette rue, à gauche,” Lucas replied, and Maya heard a faint “merci” before Lucas turned back to her. God, she thought just his smile was enticing, but hearing him speak in quickfire French was definitely doing something to her. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Just someone asking for directions.”

“Guess you’re a native Parisian now, huh?”

“Nah. New York still has my heart.” Maya’s heart leaped. She wasn’t sure if there was anything wrong with that anymore. When Lucas and Riley had been dating, she had felt incredibly guilty whenever she  _ felt anything _ about Lucas. They had broken up the end of freshman year (it was clean and mutual, thank God), but Maya still believed there was a strong possibility they would get back together. They made sense, right? At least, that’s what everyone had always said. Maya knew they would have no chance if she came clean, so she continued to hide how she felt. 

“Say something else in French,” Maya commanded, raising an eyebrow. 

Lucas chuckled. “Sure. Uh, tu me manques beaucoup.” 

“Oh, yeah? What else ya got?”

“J'espère que nous pourrons être à nouveau proches.” 

“Damn, Friar,” Maya laughed, entertained. Lucas grinned, and there was a moment where neither of them spoke. Although it was through a screen, and they were thousands of miles away, their eyes locked, and Maya felt...something. It was strange, and she couldn’t place it, but even over the phone there was an odd tension in the air. 

Maya cleared her throat. There was an awkward pause before Lucas spoke again. “Hey, it’s been a while. We should hang out when I get back.”

Maya hesitated before responding. “I mean, we’ll all be hanging out at the Beach in a few days. I’ll see you then.” The group of friends, along with the help from Cory and Topanga, had planned a week-long beach trip the week before school started. 

Lucas shook his head and chuckled. “No, I mean, just the two of us.”

Maya swallowed anxiously. She wanted to, she really did-- but what would she be risking? She hated that she was overthinking this, but what else could she do? She didn’t want to say no. Truth be told, Maya missed the cowboy more than she cared to admit. 

“Why? We’ll be able to talk with everyone else there.”

Lucas’ face fell. “I just wanted to. I miss it when we used to do things together.”

“Oh.” Maya swallowed. She honestly didn’t know what kind of answer she had been expecting. She felt scared at the idea of being alone with him, and she had no idea why. 

“Yeah.” Lucas bit his lip for a moment. “So, what do you say?”

Maya took a second to think it over. “Sure,” she replied after a moment, not containing her smile. In fact, she wasn’t even aware of it. 

“Can’t wait,” Lucas replied happily. For once, Maya let herself relax. The two talked for a bit more, Lucas mentioning a few things that had happened in the past few days, and asking Maya questions about her art. He seemed genuinely interested, curious about what she had been working on, even if he was adorably confused by the terminology she used. After a while, they said goodbye and hung up, Maya setting her phone on her desk and spinning in her chair. They hadn’t set a date for their planned hang-out, but Maya surprisingly wasn’t just going to hope he’d forget, like she would’ve before. Sometime during that call, she had realized after he had asked that she had been hoping he would show interest in spending one-on-one time with her, but it didn’t surprise her one bit. She missed him. She missed him a lot. It might not be a bad thing, she now understood. 

Maybe there was still a relationship left to rebuild.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Maya took one earbud out, looking to her right where Riley sat next to her. It was a sunny Monday afternoon, the weather warm and beautiful. She sat in Topanga’s car, where seven of them were driving up to the beach. Cory sat in the passenger seat, singing incoherently along to the radio. Maya, Riley, and Farkle were cramped together in the back row of the car, and Isadora and Zay sat in front of them. Lucas was meeting the rest of them at the beach, as he had packing and unpacking to do beforehand. Riley had been chatting endlessly for most of the ride so far, excited about the trip. Maya had humored her at first, but eventually had gotten irritated, so she had put on her music and zoned out. 

“...And I’m so excited to see Lucas! It’s been so long,” Riley was saying, as Maya tuned back into the conversation. Maya wasn’t about to admit it, but she was nervous about seeing Lucas after the two months he had been gone. If he hadn’t called her, she would be less so, but knowing he was expecting to interact with her awoke anxiety within her. After the months that she had been avoiding him for, what foundation did they really have left? Maya had no idea how much he thought about their past, but it definitely gave an element of awkwardness to any conversation Maya had with him, at least for her. 

“Yeah,” Maya agreed half-heartedly, staring back out the window at the passing trees. Riley stopped her chatter, suddenly concerned.

“Maya, you okay? I thought you would be more excited to see him,” Riley asked, putting a hand on Maya’s shoulder. Maya turned back to her friend, sighing deeply.

“Yeah, it’s all good. I’m just tired.” Riley nodded. “Plus, you interrupted the Beatles. The audacity.” Riley laughed, took her hand back, and turned to Farkle, continuing their conversation. Maya put her earbud back in, looking out the car window once more, watching at the scenery that passed by. Yes, Riley had been right-- part of her  _ was _ excited to see Lucas, no matter how much she tried to suppress it. No matter how much their past stung, Maya still cared for him, and it had been difficult to keep away from him for so long. Perhaps seeing him and talking to him, pretending like nothing was wrong  _ would _ help her move on. Who knew? All she could do was wait, see, and try.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Alright, kiddos, we’re here!” Cory announced as Topanga exited the highway. Maya opened her eyes, having fallen asleep, apparently. She took off her earbuds, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sunlight. Topanga turned left, finding the parking lot. As she parked, Maya unbuckled, grabbing her bag off the floor of the car. The seven of them clamored off the car. Once Maya had hopped down, she took in warm sunlight, closing her eyes for a moment, simply adjusting to the change in scenery. She opened them back up, pulling her sunglasses out from her drawstring backpack, and putting them on. There was no time for another pause, though. Riley had grabbed Maya’s hand, not caring to contain her youthful excitement. 

“C’mon, we gotta get a good spot!” She exclaimed, and without another word she started dashing towards the sand, pulling Maya after her.    
“Riley--” Maya yelped, stumbling after her enthusiastic friend helplessly. She was tripping over her flip-flops, but managed to keep them on her feet. Riley suddenly skidded to a halt, Maya nearly tumbling forward onto the sand. The rest of the group was leisurely following them, chatting and admiring the pleasant view the beach provided them. 

“This is a good spot,” Riley said cheerily, taking her towel from her beach bag and laying it down neatly. Maya grumbled, laying her towel down next to Riley’s. Everyone caught up to them and got busy by setting up their towels. Zay had brought a beach umbrella, but after a good 5 minutes of struggling to set it up, he gave up, just sitting down on his towel in defeat. Maya sat down on her own towel, which had been a present from Riley and the rest of the Matthews family on her seventh birthday. It was a striped yellow and pink towel with  _ Maya _ embroidered on the bottom, and she had loved it ever since she had received it. She took off her shoes, letting her feet sink into the sand a bit. The sand was warm, but she didn’t really mind. Maya didn’t go to the beach often, so she was just trying to relax and enjoy it for once. Normally, she would be grumbling about the heat, but there was something about this day that made her feel less pessimistic. 

Maya had zoned out, so she didn’t notice someone else had joined the group until he spoke. “Hey!” Lucas greeted them, his tone quite cheerful. Zay, Riley, Farkle, and Isadora all leaped up to say hi, excitedly talking all over each other. Maya, on the other hand, pulled herself up slowly, running a hand through her hair grimly as she watched Lucas hug the others, his big, goofy grin plastered on his face. She observed him, taking every aspect of him in. The summer had been quite kind to him, she noticed delightedly. He was more tanned than he was usually, his skin golden, and Maya swore he was  _ glowing _ . He also must have grown a few inches, because with both of them without shoes, Maya could tell he was much taller than her than usual. She really felt  _ tiny _ in comparison to him. Aside from that, Maya pleasantly inferred he must have been working out during his trip, because, to put it lightly, he was  _ jacked _ . Even with his shirt on, Maya could tell his arms were more muscled, and his legs were too. His t-shirt hung off his broad shoulders even better than usual, and Maya fully understood what people meant when they called him perfect. She may have been trying to get over him, but he was making it extremely difficult just by looking like  _ that _ . 

Lucas noticed Maya looking over at him, and his seagreen eyes caught her gaze (and  _ man _ , did they contrast very nicely with his tan). Maya flushed, embarrassed at being caught staring at him. He didn’t seem to care, though; instead, Lucas beamed at her, stepping closer. Maya sized him up, crossing her arms across her chest.

“You’ve grown,” she said simply. Lucas snorted, staring down at her, his expression amused. 

“You haven’t,” he drawled in response, cockily arching an eyebrow. It was Maya’s turn to laugh.

“You look like a tree.”

“And you look like a little flower. Now that we’ve established our nature personas, can we move on?” Maya almost shuddered, but she caught herself. As much tension as there was between them, that she was probably making up, she was in no way to flirt like they used to. It was unfair to him, anyway. She had told him she didn’t like him, so she would play the part. She didn’t want to hurt Riley, either. Wasn’t there supposed to be a girl code? You weren’t supposed to date your best friend’s ex without permission, and even then it might be iffy. Maya wasn’t going to ask for permission, and she doubted Riley would just say out of the blue that Maya could ask Lucas out or something. 

Lucas gave her an amused look, and Maya wondered if he had caught her shudder. Lucas didn’t give her any more hints, turning away from her to set his towel down next to Zay’s. Maya sighed, sitting back down and bringing her knees up. She had been excited for today, but she didn’t want to spend the whole day trying to stop herself from talking to Lucas. She wasn’t going to cross any lines, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to make herself look like an idiot by bringing it up with Riley. She would just have to deal with it. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Lucas, bro, how was your trip?” Zay asked as Lucas took a seat next to him. 

“It was really great. Paris is beautiful,” Lucas replied, his face brightening. “The culture, the food, just the whole city. I’m really grateful that I got to go.” 

Zay raised his eyebrows. “What, are you rehearsing for a commercial?” 

Lucas elbowed Zay, giving him a look. Zay laughed, and began to talk about his own summer. Lucas nodded in response, but he couldn’t help zoning out, as Maya had caught his eye. She had stood up, and had taken off her shirt and shorts, leaving her in her bikini. Lucas swallowed. She looked really good, but she always did, didn’t she. There was something her petite body in a black bikini that got him. And her curves, her legs, her blonde curls cascading down her back…

“Hey! Earth to Lucas!” Lucas snapped back to reality, jumping when Zay started yelling. “What’re you doing, man? I was talking about my boring summer.”

“Nothing, I was just…” Lucas mumbled, unable to stop himself from glancing back over at Maya. Zay, however, followed his gaze, picking up on the obvious. He smirked to himself before replying. 

“So,” Zay drawled, his tone insufferably smug, “you haven’t seen Maya all summer, and now...You suddenly realizing all your feelings for her again?” Lucas glared at his friend’s self-satisfied expression, suddenly feeling quite defensive. 

“No,” he snapped. “What? I’m over Maya.” But was he? To tell the truth, Lucas wasn’t really sure anymore. Maya didn’t like him anymore, so there really was no point in wallowing over her. He wasn’t with Riley anymore, and they had figured out that they didn’t love each other romantically, so he guessed there was nothing morally  _ wrong _ with liking Maya, but he wasn’t keen on heartache. He was all for love and romance, he really was. There was just simply no benefit in longing for a girl he couldn’t have. Have been a subjective term, as she wouldn’t be his, even if they were together. Lucas was  _ not _ about to get possessive over her, especially since he had no right to be. Although he did feel jealous when she talked about Josh, or flirted with others...

Zay snorted. “Nah, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am, Zay,” Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.

Zay was seemingly unconvinced of Lucas’ sincerity. “I can’t read your mind or tell you what you feel. I can only tell you what I see. And right now, you’re definitely whipped.” 

“W-wha-” Lucas spluttered, aware of the fact that his eyes had turned red. “What makes you think that?”

Zay raised an eyebrow. “Maybe the fact that just a moment ago you were staring at her in a bikini, lust in your eyes. Plus, your ears always give you away when you lie.”

Damn it. Zay had known Lucas practically all his life, meaning Zay knew Lucas better than anyone, but it was inconvenient when Lucas was trying to hide something. “I’m not into Maya anymore, Zay. Besides, even if I was, she’s made it clear that she doesn’t like me, and that she never did. So just drop it.” Zay’s expression softened, and Lucas caught pity in his gaze. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Zay asked innocently.

“Like I’m just some lovesick puppy that you need to feel bad for.”

Zay sighed. “Look, man, I’m here for you, whatever you’re feelin’. Just know you don’t have to hide anything from me.” 

The two boys went quiet, just sitting in silence. Lucas knew there was truth in what Zay had said, and he had probably been lying to himself for a while now. If he was being honest, Lucas had been hiding things. The summer had overall been incredible for him, although some things had went down that he didn’t want to talk about. In his defense, Lucas usually behaved well, followed rules, and generally did the right thing. While this was true, there were a few nights where he had snuck out of the hotel room and gone out with some college students he had met. He had gone to a few parties, and he had drank. Lucas wasn’t proud of it, though, like he knew most teens would be. Lucas knew he was a year older than his friends, which slipped his mind sometimes, but he was the age of a junior. He had found himself in situations he definitely wouldn’t have been in if he was with his friends. One party, he had gotten wasted, and found himself with another highschooler, a girl, in a bed…

Lucas had wanted to forget about it, erase it from his memory, but he couldn’t. His regret ran deep, but he had to face the truth. He had gotten drunk and lost his virginity to a girl he didn’t know.

Lucas let out a deep sigh. He hated himself for it. Although many would call it unmasculine, Lucas really was a hopeless romantic. He had always hoped that one day, he would fall in love. He had wanted to wait for someone that he loved, but he hadn’t. And he hated that. 

Aside from that, there was another thing he hadn’t admitted to. Lucas had been thinking about Maya a lot more than he wanted to say. No matter the context, she had occupied his mind a lot throughout the summer. In fact, although he had been wasted, Lucas was pretty sure he had imagined that girl was Maya the whole time…

_ Stop it, _ he reprimanded himself.  _ Maya is out of the question. The healthy thing to do is move on.  _ While he knew that was true, Lucas couldn’t help himself most of the time. He liked her still. That was the sad truth. He didn’t know how to start getting over her. He truly was lost. But Lucas supposed that someday, he’d find someone else, and it would all be okay. For the time being, he just had to wait.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Maya didn’t care. Not even when she looked over at Lucas and saw him stand up and take off his shirt. She certainly wasn’t painfully aware of the fact that she had been right, that Lucas had gotten jacked over the summer. 

But the thing was, she did care. Lying to herself was no use anymore. She was painfully aware of how much she cared. She couldn’t help but watch him throw his shirt to the side, standing in only his swim trunks, laughing at something Zay had said, and stretching, his arm muscles flexing as he did so. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes wandered to his chest, where he now had a six-pack. Maya had always thought he was attractive, but hot  _ damn _ . He really had had a glow-up over the summer, even if he hadn’t needed one. Lucas caught her staring, so she averted her gaze quickly, but Lucas wasn’t fooled. He walked over to her, crossing his arms, grinning amusedly. “You good?” He asked teasingly. 

Maya glared at him. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Lucas shrugged, insufferably smug. 

“Alright. Just makin’ sure.” He turned away from her to Zay, who had taken a frisbee out of his bag, and the two retreated a bit so they had room to play. Farkle got up to join them, and the three boys started tossing it around. Maya watched, her eyes on Lucas. She wasn’t denying the fact that she was one-hundred percent ogling him, but who could blame her when he looked like  _ that _ ? He had started sweating as well, which was definitely a bonus. She smirked a bit to herself, raising her eyebrows when he turned, looking at his ass. Hm. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that she was here with him. 

Isadora sat down on Maya’s other side, where her towel was. Riley leaned over so she could see her friend, smiling. 

“You guys think we’ll get any dating action this year?” Maya asked, her mind still on Lucas. Riley giggled.

“Maybe. I heard a rumor that Clark Evans is planning to ask you out, though.” Maya raised her eyebrows, but she kept her eyes on the game.

“Really? Who told you that?”

“Robert did. He said that he had a crush on you last year but didn’t want to ask because of the whole thing with Lucas,” Riley replied brightly. “Isn’t that great?”

Maya hesitated a moment before replying. She honestly didn’t know how she felt. On one hand, she had to move on. Part of her was aware that Josh had been dating other women, so she didn’t really feel guilty for it. There wasn’t a chance for her and Lucas, either, so why wait? But on the other hand, she wanted to believe that there was a future for her and Lucas. She wanted to believe that someday, she would be his. “I guess so.”

“Do you think you would say yes if he asked?” Isadora asked curiously. “A lot of the girls in our grade think he is cute, anyway.” 

Maya shrugged. “Dunno. What about you two? Got any interests?”

“You know me. I have crushes on, like, five different people at any given moment,” Riley laughed at herself. “So who knows?”

“I am with Farkle, so I will,” Isadora pointed out, smiling. Riley stopped laughing, but she still kept a happy look on her face. Maya noted the smile looked a little forced, but she said nothing. Who was she to ask questions about hidden feelings? Instead, she kept watching Lucas play frisbee, softly smirking. Clark Evans may be cute, but he was in no way able to compare to Lucas, who had just turned around after a particularly impressive catch. When he straightened up, he noticed Maya staring at him. Lucas playfully smiled, jogging towards the three girls. He stopped in front of them, looming over at Maya. 

“You watching me, Hart?”

Maya couldn’t help herself. Maybe it was a moment of weakness. “Maybe. What’s it to you, Huckleberry?”

“Oh! Feisty, huh?” Lucas said incredulously, though his tone was impish. “Enjoying the show?”

Maya arched an eyebrow. “A little bit. Especially since your fly is down.”

Lucas didn’t fall for it. “No, it’s not. I made sure. Nice try, Shortstack.” 

“Oh, I see how it is,” Maya drawled. She had to admit it-- she was really enjoying this. “I still haven’t been able to get to you, huh?” 

Lucas shook his head. “No, but I appreciate how much you’ve been trying. I sure do enjoy it, ma’am,” he smirked, tipping an invisible cowboy hat before turning around and jogging back to Zay and Farkle. Zay scowled, yelling something at Lucas, who just laughed and shook his head. Maya smiled smugly. Although an hour ago she would have felt guilty, she found herself honestly not caring. She had missed their little game. It felt relieving, like she had been holding her breath for a long time. It was simple, but it still meant something to her.

Riley snickered. “You two have no shame, do you?”

“What?” Maya asked, furrowing her brow confusedly. 

Isadora chimed in. “Flirting. It was very obvious.”

“What? No!” Maya exclaimed defensively, looking back and forth between Isadora and Riley. “I was just teasing him. There’s nothing romantic about that. Didn’t we all come to that conclusion?” Truth was, they hadn’t. Maya had initially gone along with the whole “identity crisis” bullshit, but a couple months after the ski lodge, her patience had snapped. She had confronted Riley, telling her almost the entire truth, but conveniently forgot to mention that she actually did like Lucas. She had told Riley that she had always been her, and she had gone along with it so she wouldn’t hurt Riley. She had explained the happenings at ski lodge by telling Riley that she hadn’t liked Lucas, but it had nothing to do with what she wore. Riley had been angry and defensive at first, but with the help of their friends, they had worked it out. At the end of the whole fiasco, Riley told Maya that she was still learning how to deal with the changes they all faced, that she was really sorry, and hoped they could stay friends and keep learning. Maya had been avoiding the topic since.

Riley snorted in disbelief. “Don’t worry about it, Maya. It’s fine that you’re flirting. It’s fun to watch,” she smirked, laughing a bit.   
“I wasn’t–“

“If you’re not gonna say yes to Clark, you should ask Lucas out!” Riley said encouragingly. “I know you said you didn’t like him, but...you definitely seemed to enjoy the flirting.”

“It wasn’t flirting,” Maya said flatly. “Just joking around.”

“Fine, we’ll let it go,” Riley said, putting her hands up in surrender.

“Thank you.”

“Well, I’m not,” Isadora said. “Not yet. You have been staring at him during the whole frisbee game.”

“I might not be flirting, but he definitely changed over the summer. I’m just observing, is all” Maya pointed out. Riley rolled her eyes, but Isadora merely shrugged, and stopped talking. 

Maya kept watching the game. It had been going on for a while, but after Zay caught the frisbee, he, Farkle, and Lucas all ran back to the rest of the group. Maya couldn’t help but notice how hot Lucas looked all sweaty. No pun intended. 

“It’s getting really hot, so Zay suggested we go swim,” Lucas said, his breathing a bit heavy after the game. 

“Oh, hell yes,” Maya said excitedly. Lucas smiled amusedly at her enthusiasm. 

The six of them made their way down to the shore, chatting. Maya sidled up to Lucas, looking up at him. “I’ll bet you ten bucks I can get Riley to swim.”

“In the cold ocean water? Right. I’ll take that bet,” Lucas replied deviously. “Good luck.”

“Keep it. You’ll need it.” Maya left his side, catching up to Riley, who was ahead of them, despite her slow pace. “You gonna swim?” Maya asked, but she knew the answer. 

Riley shook her head. “No way. It’ll be too cold.” Maya heard Lucas laugh, but instead of conceding, she grabbed Riley by the arm and began running towards the shore. Riley exclaimed, but Maya pulled her into the water, and they splashed in. Riley shrieked at the cold water, but Maya dove right in, submerging herself completely. She broke the surface, grinning wildly at Riley who was scowling, but couldn’t conceal her laughter. Farkle and Zay ran in after them, while Isadora waded in, pausing before going deeper. Lucas hung back, moving slowly, catching Maya’s gaze. 

“Get the hell in the water already, Huckleberry!” Maya yelled impatiently at him. A few parents with young children shot her dirty looks, but she ignored them. 

Lucas stopped moving completely. “I’m taking my time. It’s cold, you know,” he replied airily, and turned around to compliment a child on their sand castle. Maya rolled her eyes. She paused for a moment before running at him and leaping onto his back.

Lucas staggered, but managed to catch himself from falling. “Move!” She yelled. He grinned wickedly, gripping her legs before turning back to the face the water and running in. Once he got deep enough, he dunked Maya under the water, letting go and backing up. 

Once Maya broke the surface, she cursed at Lucas and tackled him. He was caught off guard, but he got with it, and they started wrestling. Lucas was much stronger, but the water slowed his movement a bit, making it more of a fair fight. They were splashing the water around, so the rest of the group hung back to avoid the scuffle. Eventually, when Maya jumped on his back again, he caught her legs in a grip, keeping her stuck up there. He turned to face their friends, where Zay and Riley were beside themselves with laughter. Isadora had a smug look on her face, and Farkle was trying (and failing) to conceal his own laughter.

Lucas walked towards them, ignoring Maya, who was trying to squirm out of his grip. “Hey, guys, come in deeper. It’s not so cold once you get used to it,” he said nonchalantly, all too innocent. They all agreed, purposely ignoring Maya’s objections. She stopped squirming, sighing in defeat. 

“Can you just put me down?” She complained, but Lucas ignored her. Maya fumed, but she gave up, wrapping her arms around his neck for stability.  She could feel his hands on her thighs, and she felt a shiver up her spine as he carried her. She made eye contact with Zay, who simply winked at her before turning to talk to Isadora. 

Eventually, Lucas set her down, but his touch still lingered. Maya readjusted her swimsuit, trying to focus on anything but him. Had Riley really meant what she had said? Was she really that okay with Maya having feelings for Lucas? Maya had all her own problems she had to work through, like still figuring out who she was-- but she definitely was struggling with trust. She used to believe everything Riley said, and just go with it; but along the way, something had changed. She had been naive before, but now she was trying to piece it all together. Who could she trust? Who would hurt her if she did? 

Truth be told, Maya really wanted to let her guard down. She wished she could be as carefree as Riley, as she herself had once been. She guessed that with her dad, Riley, and Lucas combined, she really had changed. Trust was foreign to her now.

She really, really wanted to learn how.

But for now, she just had to let it all go and enjoy herself.

“Oh, you’re gonna fucking get it,” she called over at Lucas, who simply laughed in reply. Riley smiled to herself, sauntering over to Maya. 

“What’s the plan?” The brunette asked.

Maya hesitated. “You go left, I go right. Distract him, and I’ll tackle.” Riley nodded, and they split. 

“Hey, Lucas,” Riley called out, prancing through the water, trying to catch the tall Texan’s attention. “You think you’re gonna date anyone this year?” Maya silently cursed, wading through the water as quietly as she could. Of course Riley would take advantage of Maya’s childish silence. 

Maya couldn’t see Lucas’ face, but she still heard his reply. “Not sure. There’s someone I’ve got my eye on, though,” he said cryptically, moving his hands through the water absentmindedly. Huh. Maya wondered what girl he could be crushing on (this wasn’t an assumption-- Lucas had told them he was straight. Maya wasn’t about to pull some heteronormative bullshit).

Riley raised her eyebrows, her interest piqued. “Oh, yeah? Who?” Her gaze flickered over to Maya for a second before returning back to Lucas. He didn’t reply, just hummed a bit, all too innocent. Maya, snapping out of her thoughts, took her chance. She charged, running and leaping at Lucas. He cried out in surprise as she wrapped her arms around her neck.   
“Maya!” He exclaimed, laughing, trying to get her off. She persisted, wrapping her legs around him. He squirmed around, but Lucas finally succeeded in prying her off of his back. She fell back into the water, spluttering a bit as she pulled herself up. Lucas was insufferably pleased with himself as he turned and exited the water, followed by Farkle. 

Zay sidled up to Maya, who was watching Lucas as he waded away, a soft grin on her face. “Guess Lucas seems pretty happy now that you’re joking around with him again,” Zay observed. 

Maya sighed, still smiling a bit. Yeah. I guess he is, huh?” 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Lucas dried himself off with his towel, humming a bit to himself as he did so. Farkle was looking at him skeptically, letting himself just air-dry. “What?” Lucas asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Farkle simply smirked. “Looks like you and Maya are having a good time.”

“Yeah, so?” Lucas asked, bewildered. 

“Nothing,” Farkle replied lightly. “Just pointing it out.”

Lucas wasn’t sure exactly what the day meant. It was odd, as Maya had definitely been avoiding him for a while now, but suddenly, she wasn’t. She had seemed reserved two days ago, too, when he had called her. Today, however? It was a different story. Lucas was confused, if he was being honest. Maya had once agreed to the fact that she made fun of him because she had feelings for him, but had recanted that later by claiming she had, in fact, never liked him like that. So what was the truth? Lucas had never believed that Maya had become Riley, but Maya was definitely not the same person he had met on the subway years ago. So what had it meant? He couldn’t possibly have been the only one who felt the tension between them. He wished they could just get over themselves and be honest.

The truth still scared him, though.

Lucas had changed a lot over the summer, and had definitely matured, physically and mentally. He would probably tell Zay and Farkle about the girl and the parties later, but that wasn’t all he had realized. He was definitely, one-thousand percent, still into Maya. There was no doubt in Lucas Friar’s mind that he liked her a whole lot, and that feeling wasn’t going away anytime soon.

He just wished she felt the same way.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The rest of the trip was a blast. Maya had initiated a prank war between her and Lucas, and had recruited Riley and Isadora to aid her. She had ambushed Lucas with water balloons, and he had retaliated by filling her backpack with seashells. It continued throughout the week, finally ending when Maya had placed a crab inside of Lucas’ t-shirt. He had emerged unscathed, but conceded. They sat next to each other on the drive home, arguing, joking, and talking for hours.

Maya eventually fell asleep, her head dropping onto Lucas’ shoulder. He had froze, unsure of what to do, but the anxiety left and was replaced by a warm feeling. His heart was beating a bit louder than usual, he felt, but this was just...soft. Comforting. He felt like Jim in that scene of the Office where he has a crush on Pam and she fell asleep on his shoulder. (Lucas had no shame in the fact that he loved the Office and the relationship between Jim and Pam. Who didn’t?)

Lucas let her rest there, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes. 

He wished he could stay in that moment forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Le café que vous recherchez se situe à cette rue, à gauche: the café you are looking for is down the street, on the left.  
> Merci: thank you.  
> Tu me manques beaucoup: I miss you very much.   
> J'espère que nous pourrons être à nouveau proches: I hope we can be close again.   
> Hmu on tumblr (alynelsons) n instagram (japrlls) <3


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